Breakdown
Navigate the breakdown overview
The breakdown overview is an episode-scoped view of the latest production-ready scenes, characters, elements, Sets, and Locations. Use it to scan breakdown progress, search and filter scenes, run AI element detection, edit scenes in bulk, and open any scene for detailed work. Breakdown state is shared across script revisions.
Before you start
- You have a dated script with parsed scenes. The overview follows the episode’s latest production-ready revision automatically; selecting an older revision in Scripts does not change Breakdown.
- Project Owners and Admins must turn on Edit mode with the View/Edit toggle before manual scene edits and edit-gated bulk actions. A Member whose project access allows credit use can run Element Breakdown and Generate Synopses, but cannot make manual Admin-only edits or run the deterministic timing estimate. Viewers cannot run AI or edit.
The five tabs
A tab row sits at the top of the breakdown overview. The tabs, in order, are:
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Breakdowns | One row per scene in a stripboard-style table. This is the default tab. |
| Characters | Every named character in the script. |
| Elements | Every element in the project, grouped by type. |
| Sets | Every production Set in the project, with its filming Location and latest-revision scene usage. |
| Locations | Every Location entity used across the script. |
On the desktop table layout, drag the vertical line at the right edge of a column heading to make that column narrower or wider. Column widths are saved on the current device and restored when you return. This works in all five tabs; fixed utility columns such as selection checkboxes, row expand controls, and action menus do not resize. If the resized columns become wider than the available list area, scroll the table horizontally.
The Breakdowns tab
What each scene row shows
Each row’s columns are configurable in breakdown settings, but a row can show the select checkbox, scene number, INT/EXT, Set, time of day, Review Status, Shoot Status, page count, cast, element and crew indicators, and a Notes count. Review Status is visible by default immediately before Shoot Status and can be sorted or filtered like the other data columns.
A small red dot beside a scene number and a red Needs attention review pill mean the newest production-ready revision changed that scene. To show only those scenes, filter the Review Status column by Needs attention, then open a row to review its red/green screenplay diff. The row itself keeps its normal strip color; the revision marker does not tint the whole row.
The Sets tab
Use Sets as the project directory for places that exist inside the story. Owners and Admins can create or edit a Set directly from this tab.
You can create a Set before choosing a filming Location, change the Location later, or leave it Unassigned. Updating the Location changes every scene that uses the Set. One Location can contain several Sets, but one Set cannot belong to two Locations. When the same story space will be filmed in two places, create clearly named Sets such as SPA — HOTEL A and SPA — STUDIO B.
SceneItAll suggests Interior, Exterior, or Interior / Exterior from the script heading. A Type you choose yourself is not replaced during a later script import. Scene references use the latest accepted revision for each active episode.
To combine duplicate Sets, open the Set you want to remove and select Merge into another Set…. Search for the Set you want to keep, then review the scene counts before confirming.
The Set you keep retains its name, filming Location, type, description, and notes. Every linked scene moves to it and uses its filming Location. Existing saved schedules and reports keep the Set name they already contain.
Merging permanently deletes the discarded Set and cannot be undone.
In the Locations tab, expand a Location and select Link Sets. Search for Sets, select the ones you want, and choose Link selected. Earlier choices stay selected when you run another search, and the selected count shows how many Sets will be linked.
All selected Sets and their scenes move together. If saving fails, none of them move. A Set already linked to another Location moves to the new one with all its scenes. Create new Sets from the Sets tab.
Search for a scene
Type in the Search field above the table to filter scenes by scene number, INT/EXT, Set, or time of day. Results update as you type.
Select scenes for batch operations
Select the checkbox on any row to pick a scene, or use the header checkbox to select every scene that matches the current filters. A selection enables the AI element detection action and the per-selection items in the Bulk actions menu.
Open a scene
Select a scene row to open the scene detail view, where you tag elements and edit the scene.
Switch scene order
Use the order toggle (the list icon) in the toolbar to switch between Scene order (script order) and Shooting order (sorted by shoot day, with unscheduled scenes falling to the bottom). The icon turns the accent color when Shooting order is active.
Refresh the list
Select the refresh icon in the toolbar to reload scenes.
The AI tools menu
Select AI tools in the toolbar to open a menu. Each action requires at least one selected scene. Permissions differ by action:
- Element Breakdown — run AI element detection on the selected scenes. When scenes are selected, the item shows the count, for example Element Breakdown (3). See Detect elements with AI.
- Generate Synopses — generate AI synopses for the selected scenes. See Write a scene synopsis.
- Estimate Timings — Owners and Admins can estimate screen and shooting time for the selected scenes from their page lengths.
While an AI job runs, the AI tools menu is replaced by a status strip and a Cancel button so you can stop the job; you can keep working elsewhere in the app while it runs.
Daytime colors for non-English scripts
Each scene’s strip color and its day/night (sun/moon) icon come from the scene’s daytime word — the time of day in the slugline. SceneItAll knows the standard English words (DAY, NIGHT, DAWN, DUSK, MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING, MAGIC HOUR), but scripts written in other languages use their own — for example Lithuanian RYTAS (morning), DIENA (day), NAKTIS (night), VAKARAS (evening).
The time-of-day chip itself reads day vs night at a glance: a DAY scene shows as a white chip with black text, and a NIGHT scene as a black chip with white text. Other times of day (dawn, dusk, morning, and so on) keep the neutral chip. This colouring is on the chip only — the full-row strip tint is unchanged.
When you import a script, SceneItAll automatically sorts any unfamiliar daytime words into one of the eight standard categories so your strips color correctly — RYTAS is treated as Morning, NAKTIS as Night, and so on. The original word still shows in the table; only the color and the sun/moon icon follow the category.
To review or fix a mapping, open the global settings and go to Breakdowns → Visual configurations, then scroll to the Daytime colors section. Each custom word is listed with a category dropdown (each option shows its color swatch). Pick the matching category and the strips recolor immediately; choose Unset to leave a word uncolored (it shows a neutral gray bar). If automatic classification wasn’t available at import time, words start out unset here and you can assign them by hand.
Read the strip color key
A compact Strip color key card sits in the page footer below the Breakdowns table on the desktop app, at the same vertical position used by the Schedule strip board’s color keys. It explains every INT/EXT and time-of-day row color. The key is display-only: selecting a swatch or label never filters or changes the breakdown.
Use the eye icon directly above the settings cog in the left sidebar to hide or show color-key cards. This is a global, device-local display preference, so the same choice also controls the key on the Schedule strip board and is remembered when you return. Hiding the card gives its space back to the table.
The Bulk actions menu
Select Bulk actions in the toolbar to open the bulk menu. Most items act on the selected scenes:
- Bulk edit (N) — edit shared fields across the selected scenes at once.
- Import timings (CSV) — import scene durations from a spreadsheet (Owners and Admins only); the CSV carries its own scene mapping, so no selection is required.
- Delete — delete the selected scenes after a confirmation dialog.
There is no Copy Breakdowns action between revisions. Matching scenes keep the same breakdown automatically. To change scene numbers for a script revision, use the revision tools in Scripts.
Scene visibility is managed by structural workflows such as Split and Merge. The breakdown has no Show hidden scenes setting or manual Hide selected / Unhide selected actions. Hidden source scenes remain intact in the script viewer and Script Management, but they do not appear in normal breakdown scene lists.
Banners above the table
A proposal banner can appear below the toolbar:
- A proposal banner when an AI element-detection or synopsis run is ready for review. Select Review to open it. See Detect elements with AI.
- A removed scenes banner when the newest revision no longer contains scenes that still need acknowledgement. Removed scenes cannot appear in the normal current-revision table, so select one from this banner to open its previous screenplay and acknowledge the removal. Owners and Admins can acknowledge it; other roles can inspect visible published comparisons.
The Characters tab
The Characters tab lists every named character. Use the Search field to filter by name. Select Add Character to create one, or Autonumber to assign character numbers in order. Select a character to open its read-only detail panel. The panel shows the description and operational Character information; its Played By relationship card always stays open, so Owners and Admins can immediately assign or remove Cast. The other detail cards remain collapsible. Owners and Admins also use the panel’s actions to edit or delete the Character. The directory row itself has no action menu.
The # column shows each character’s number. By industry convention this matches the actor’s cast number — character #1 is played by Cast #1 — so the same number flows onto call sheets, sides, one-liners, and other reports. Assigning a cast member to a character sets the character’s # to that cast member’s number automatically.
The Elements tab
The Elements tab shows every element in the project.
- A category sidebar on the left lists every element type with a count badge. Select a type to filter the table, or select All elements to see everything.
- The table lists each element with its name, department, and the scenes it appears in. Filter chips above the table narrow the list by element state (All, Active, Merged) and by scene number.
- Select an element to open its read-only detail panel. Owners and Admins choose Edit or Delete from that panel.
- Select Add Element to create a new element. Owners and Admins see Add Category immediately to its right and an Export action that downloads the element list. See Export breakdown data.
- Owners and Admins can edit a built-in or custom category by right-clicking its sidebar row and selecting Edit from the context menu. Category rows have no visible edit icon. Only the display name and color change; the category’s stable key remains unchanged so existing elements and report filters keep working.
See Work with breakdown elements.
The Locations tab
The Locations tab shows every Location entity used across the script. Use the Search field to filter by name, select Add Location to create one, and select a location to open its detail panel and automatically expand its linked Sets and scenes beneath the row. New and existing Locations use the same Status choices: Scouting, Pending, Confirmed, Wrapped, and Cancelled.
After entering an address, select Find coordinates from address to search for it. Choose a result before anything changes. SceneItAll uses the matched map position by default; select Use matched address too if you also want to replace the address text. Cancelling or finding no match leaves your existing details unchanged.
Location scene counts, expanded scene references, and the Set cards shown under each Location follow the latest production-ready revision of the selected episode. Changing the revision in Scripts does not change this directory. Sets unused by the latest production-ready revision are hidden. Linked Set cards use the standard surface color — white in light mode — like the rest of the directory. Use the row’s chevron to fold that inline section closed or open again. A Location is a real-world filming address — distinct from a scene’s Set (the in-story space named in the slugline).
Configure breakdown settings
Breakdown settings are project-wide and live under Global Settings → Breakdown (Owners and Admins only). The settings cover which columns appear on the Breakdowns tab, which element categories show on scene sheets, linking rules, the timing estimate, and per-device display preferences. See the tab list in Break down a scene in the detail view for what each settings tab controls.
Each Breakdown settings editor loads one current snapshot before you make changes. Saving is not blocked by unrelated project changes, such as an updated project description, watermark, or Schedule setting. If another Owner or Admin changes Breakdown categories, linking rules, or shoot pace after your editor opens, SceneItAll rejects the older save instead of overwriting their work; reopen the editor to load the latest values before trying again.
On the Linking Manager tab, rules attach an existing breakdown element when a trigger matches. When you add or edit a rule, choose the target from the element picker rather than typing a loose name. A rule whose previously selected target was deleted appears as Unresolved and stays disabled until an Owner or Admin opens it and selects an exact replacement. During the one-time upgrade from name-based rules, rules with genuinely ambiguous targets are removed; their breakdown elements are never deleted.